1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to portable display devices, and more particularly to portable display devices for displaying wedding gowns, dresses, suits and the like.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It has long been the practice in the retailing of better dresses, and in particular, wedding gowns, as well as in the sale of men's suits and the like, to display such items in a manner as they might appear when worn by the purchaser. Such display typically takes place in the show window or on the sales floor of a retail store, and involves, in essence, "dressing" a mannequin or display dummy as the purchaser of the item might dress, in order that the clothing item be displayed in an attractive fashion.
However, the cost of making a life-sized mannequin is relatively large, limiting the number of such mannequins the typical smaller retailer could afford to use, and thus limiting his means of displaying his wares. Thus, the search has long been on for a less costly manner of displaying dresses, suits and the like, and many attempts have been made in the art to make the full-sized mannequins less costly to manufacture.
Other attempts, such as those discussed in the statement of patentability accompanying this application, deal with attempts to make portable mannequins of various types which may be either stored in a collapsed position, so as not to occupy the space of full-sized mannequins, or have involved various attachments to coat hangers to provide a mannequin-like structure when needed. However, up until the present invention, there has been nothing which is both collapsible and attachable to a coat hanger to provide both advantages.